MERCH from the RICKY GARDINER SONGS Records catalogue includes new music from Beggars Opera ( rock), experimental music from Beggars Opera alt.( mostly way -out guitar stuff) and experimental and classical music by VIRGINIA SCOTT ( way- out keyboards and classical contemporary instrumental).
.thumbnail.jpg){kind=logo}
NEW!
SUDDENLY AHEAD AHEAD BEGGARS OPERA (single track)
RGS 9482
Beggars Opera 7digital indiestore
Suddenly Ahead Ahead (short )
-----------------------------------------------------
CLOSE TO MY HEART: BEGGARS OPERA
RGS 9473
Close to My Heart now on itunes
CD: £10.00 inc post and pack.
Passing Her
You Stranger
-------------------------------------------------
TOUCHING THE EDGE (inc Auschwitz) : BEGGARS OPERA
RGS 9475.
CD: £10.00 inc post and pack.
Track 10: AUSCHWITZ
"Ricky Gardiner explored the very fragile theme, the tragedy of the Jews of Europe. The story of this mini-album is unique as is the music. OK, for many fans Ricky is the guitar player with Iggy Pop and David Bowie, just a few remember him as a leader of the old prog band BEGGARS OPERA. So here we hear not the riffage akin to "Lust For Life" but something different.
"Auschwitz" is one whole piece of music that can be defined as new age. Virginia's keyboards provide the solid base for Ricky's Strat. Guitar comes in as a thick stratus, sounding very low. The mood is similar to that of the CAMEL's "Snowgoose", I'd say, or - that's the best comparison - "Shine On You Crazy Diamond". Gardiner obviously plays just for himself, for his thoughts, not to show off his skills but to let his feelings out. The tune is quiet in pace but unmeasurable in its depth.
Little by little guitar gets higher and higher and starts to weep, not as Clapton's axe, much more in an introvert way. It cries and it soars. Suddenly the sound becomes sparse and breaks down. From beyond in flies Virginia's soprano chanting Dante's verses and then - guitar returns, this time going low. It sings and stumbles and stumbles again as a wounded bird. Mourning? A kind of. But there are notes of hope clearly heard, hidden on the very bottom of tragedy. There's no authentic Jewish melody used but some hint of it, is. High again - and beyond, to make room for another vocal spot. The piece comes to a halt rather unexpectedly, with no real coda - anyway, it makes for a good effect.
I really doubt this album's commercial value but as a music it's excellent."
Dmitry Epstein: Let it Rock
-----------------------------------------------------
THE FLOOD: BEGGARS OPERA alt.
RGS 9479
The Flood was composed in 1985.
Digitally remastered for Beggars Opera Alt.,in 2008.
Spacey and sonic, Ricky Gardiner combines Guitar Yamaha CX5 and Tape.
The Flood
CD: £6.00 inc post and pack.
-----------------------------------------------------
HOW THE SONG GROWS: VIRGINIA SCOTT
RGS 9480
SOLO Oboe d'amore performed by Jennifer Porcas.
Part 1: The Nest of the Raven
Part 2: I am a Tear of the Sun
Part 3: Dunnottar
" The music is in 3 parts and is in the nature of a loosely arranged improvisation with material re-appearing in different guises. There are recurring figures particularly 'the Tear' and 'Blessing'. Moods and atmospheres change unexpectedly as gnomish influences are felt" Jennifer Porcas.
Recorded at Maestilo Church Carmarthenshire 2006
I am A Tear of the Sun
CD: £6.00 GBP inc. post and pack.
-------------------------------------------
VOLCANO DIARIES: VIRGINIA SCOTT
KU 9476
Performed by VIRGINIA SCOTT.
Experimental Music for 3 Digital Pianos 2009.
An expressionist collage of free improvisation, tone cluster
and thematic loop pulsing indeterminately in a pantonal landscape.
Inspired by postcards sent to composer Virginia Aurora Scott
by geologist Richard Batchelor (M.Sc., F.G.S.) during his
researches into ancient volcanic rocks of the Western
Highlands of Scotland, 2005-2008.
Data
Still
Pink Sky
CD: £6.00 inc post and pack.
-----------------------------------------------
KUMARA CONFLUENCE: BEGGARS OPERA alt.
KU 9471
CD: £10.00 inc post and pack.
'My idea for Kumara was to bring five different elements together, allow the elements to co-exist simultaneously while not necessarily depending one upon the other. After a reasonable time had elapsed I found one of the elements brought forth nothing and one of the other elements struck me as unsuitable for the project but had a lot to offer for another time and another project. That left three, myself, Virginia Scott and Trevor Stainsby. The process was quite simple. Virginia recorded seven pads made up mostly of strings. They were very slow moving with no absolute pulse. I selected four of the passages for further work. These four were duplicated and I worked on one lot and Trevor worked on the other. Trevor had the midi information which was driving the original string parts and substituted his own sound as he saw fit. He also added ad lib 'one of' sounds. He then added percussion in such as way so as to blend with the synth part. I worked on the original and added guitar. On White Spring this turned out to be regular electric and I improvised a melody on top of the strings. On the other three pieces I used a sustaining device called an E BOW to elicit the 'bowed' effect from the electric guitar After editing the guitars which meant eliminating the redundant sections , Virginia then recorded her voice on top. She paid particular attention to making her voice sound like one of the instruments. Trevor and myself then got together, amalgamated our equipment and started playing back everything together . By retaining the elements that we agreed worked musically and rejecting everything that did not, we arrived at what became Kumara - Confluence. My choice of the Kumara name comes from Sanat Kumara which translates as the 'Spirit of the Earth' or the 'Inhabitant of the Earth' Confluence was chosen to reflect the converging of the quite separate streams to form the one entity. Is not all music like this ?' Ricky Gardiner.
-------------------------------------------------
AUSCHWITZ: BEGGARS OPERA
Single
A 17 min Prayer for the Holocaust victims.
RGS: 9481
Auschwitz
CD: £6.00 inc post and pack.
-------------------------------------------